Replacement AUDI A8 2012 Owners Manual

4 Table of contents
Do-it-yourself ser vice . . . . . . . . .
256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Trunk escape hand le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Emergency warning triangle . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Bulbs .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ... .. 269
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 270
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Start ing by push ing or tow ing . . . . . . . 270
Starting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 270
Use of jumper cab les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 1
E mergency towing with comme rcial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Lifting vehicle .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... 274
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
General information . . . . . . . . . . 276
Explanation of technical data . . . . . . . 276
Vehicle ident ificat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
372 hp, 8-cylinder engine, w ith all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
500 hp, 12-cyl inder engine, with all
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Consumer Information . . . . . . . 280
War ranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Operating your vehicle outside the U.S.A . o r Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Li terature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Addit ional accessories, modifications
and parts replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Declaration of Compliance,
Te lecommunication or Electronic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Index ..... ..... ..... ...... ..... 285

28 Opening and closing
Opening and closing
Keys
Key set
Fig. 13 Key set
@ Remote control key with mechanical
key
You can centrally lock and unlock your vehicle
and start the engine with the master key with remote control. A mechanical key is integrat­
ed in the remote control key
c:> page 29 .
@ Emergency key
The emergency key is not intended for con­
stant use.
It should only be used in an emer­
gency. Keep it in a safe place and do not carry it on your key ring.
Key replacement
If you lose a key, contact your authorized Audi
dealer immediately to have the
lost key disa­
bled. Be sure to bring all your keys with you.
Personal comfort settings
If two peop le use one vehicle, it is recom­
mended that each person always uses "their
own" master key . When the ignition is switch­
ed off or when the vehicle is locked, personal
convenience settings for the follow ing sys­
tems are stored and assigned to the remote
master key.
- Automatic climate control
- Central locking system
- Rear window sun blind
- Amb ient lighti ng
- Seat memory
- Parking system* - Adaptive cruise control*
-
Aud i lane assist*
- Aud i side assist*
-Audi drive select
- Night vision assistant*
- Heated steering wheel *
T he stored settings are automatically recalled
when you unlock the vehicle, when you open
the doors or when you switch the ignition on.
A WARNING
-- Do not leave your vehicle unattended. Al­
ways take your ignit ion key with you and
lock your vehicle. Entry by unauthorized
persons could endanger you or result in
theft or damage the vehicle.
- Do not leave ch ildren unattended in the
veh icle, especially with access to vehicle
keys. Unguarded access to the keys pro­
vides children the opportunity to start
the engine and/or activate vehicle sys­
tems such as the power windows, etc.
Unsupervised operation of any vehicle
system by children can result in serious
injury.
(D Tips
- The operation of the remote control key
can be temporarily disrupted by interfer­
ence from transm itters in the vic inity of
the vehicle working in the same frequen­
cy range (e .g. a cell phone, radio equip­
ment).
- For security reasons, replacement keys
are only available from Audi dealers.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions<=>
page 283.

Removing the mechanical key
Fig. 14 Remote control maste r key : re mov ing the me­
c han ical key
• Press the release button@ ¢ fig. 14.
• Pull the mechanica l key @ out of the mas ­
ter key.
Using the mechan ica l key, you can:
- lock and unlock* the storage compartment
on the passenger's side
<=:> page 71.
-lock and unlock the vehicle manually
c:>page 33 .
-lock the front and rear passenger doors me­
chanically
c:> page 34.
- unlock the rear lid manua lly ¢ page 37 .
Check light and battery in the master
key
Fig. 15 Remote master key : Re mov ing the battery
holder
Check light in the master key
The check light @<=:> fig. 15 in the master key
prov ides information about different cond i­
tions.
• The check light turns on brief ly once when a
button is pressed, and during an "inqu iry"
by the convenience key system .
Opening and closing 29
• If the check light does not come on, the
battery is dead and has to be replaced. In
add ition, when the battery is dead
the m
indicator light appears in the instrument
cluster display as well as the message
Please change the key battery .
Master key battery replacement
We recommend having the battery changed
by an authorized Audi dealer. However, if you
wish to replace the dead battery yourse lf , pro­
ceed as follows:
• Remove the mechanical key
c:> page 29.
.. Press the re lease button ® c:> fig. 15 on the
battery holder and at the same time pull the
battery holder out of the master key in the
direction of the arrow .
.. Install the new battery CR 2032 with the
"+" sign facing down.
• Push the battery holder carefu lly into the
master key.
• Install the mechan ical key.
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of dead batteries properly so as
not to poll ute the environment.
(D Tips
The replacement battery must be the
same specification as the original.
Electronic immobilizer
The immobilizer helps to prevent unauthor­
ized use of your vehicle .
A computer chip inside your key automatically
deact ivates the electronic immobilizer when
the key is inside the vehicle . When you remove
the key from the vehicle, the elect ronic immo ­
bilizer is automatically activated once again.
& WARNING
Always take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle. The key can disarm the
e lectronic engine immobilizer and permit
an unauthorized person to start the engine
and enable operation of the vehicle
IIJI,-

Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
~ Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
~ Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety be lts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correc tly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit ­
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being d riv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi ­
tion . Safety belts
13 7
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
tha t may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be requ ired for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web­
bing , bindings, buckles , or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer . Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the bel ts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c::> page 212, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 141 Bel t b uckle and to ngue on the driver's seat

150 Airbag sys te m
_& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from working
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat wi ll pre­
vent the Advanced A irbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by q ualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat . If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-se nsing mat and send the
wrong info rmation to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­ senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r­
bag System under the passenge r seat
c ou ld be damaged, prevent ing them and
the a irbag sys tem from working proper ­
ly .
- N ever place sea t covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by A udi on the fron t seats.
- Seat covers can preven t th e Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re ­
st raints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploy ing prop­
er ly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat. The add itiona l padd ing will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accu rately reg iste ring the c hild restra int
-
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing p roperly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions re­
qu ire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something e lse to prope rly pos ition the
child restraint, make certain t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re­
straint is installed on the front passen ­
ge r seat .
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi ­
ately insta ll child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your Audi dea ler.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide a irbags supp lem ent the p rotection of­
fered by the front three-po int safety belts
with pre tensione rs and load lim iters and the
adjustable head res train ts to help redu ce the
risk of in jury in a wide ra nge of accident and
crash situations . Be s ure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in th is chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and t he activation of the safety belt preten ­
s ioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electron ic co ntrol unit. The amount of infla­
t ion of t he front airbags can a lso be adapted
to the front seat pos ition, depending on the
distance between the respective front seat
and t he steer ing w heel or instrument panel as
regis tered by sensors in the seats. C rash se ­
verity depends on speed and dece leration as
well as the mass and st iffness of t he vehicle
or object involved in the crash .
On t he passenger side, rega rdless of sa fe ty
belt use, the airbag w ill be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the ..,.

Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline¢ page 215,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never run the tank down all the way to
empty.
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine
¢ page 225, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be ­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
importa nt for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
-
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields. During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
0 Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢ page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire . U nburned fuel could a lso get i nto
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 195
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat .
- Do not switch off the ignit ion while the
vehicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
co uld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave your vehicle maintained prope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendat ions in you r Warranty &
M aintenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehi cle w il l impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is
operat ing properly, the exha ust gas can
have a sul fur -li ke exhaust gas smell under
some operating states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are drivi ng on poo r roads, or over
c ur bs, s teep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low -lying parts s uch as spoilers and exhaust
system pa rts do not bottom o ut and get dam­
aged.
T h is is espec ially true for veh icles w ith low­
s lung chassis (spor ts chassis)* and fully load­
ed vehicles. •
•

Only if the level of the oil is at or below the min imum mark -and no oil that expressly
conforms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
specifications is available -may you top off
with a high quality engine oil, preferably syn­
thetic -based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in viscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE
OW-40. However, during the entire time be­
tween oil change intervals, never top off with
more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil
that does not conform to Audi oil specification
vw 502 00.
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca. Here you will also find a current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc .) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­ ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­ ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use. If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently.
Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run-
Checking and filling 223
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00. Your Limited New Vehicle War­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to failure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage unless you present to
the dealer proof in the form of Service or Re­
pair Orders that all scheduled maintenance
was performed in a timely manner.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubrication and
cooling of internal engine components, all in­
ternal combustion engines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢ page 194) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the oxida-
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage builds up, the oil consump-
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary. ..,.
•
•

228 Checking and filling
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 221.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 15 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor , we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
_& WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps. -
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­ freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add­
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 219.
.. Turn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 227, fig . 179 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢,&. .
.,. Add coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications
¢ page 22 7, Coolant. We
recommend using only coolant additive G12+
+, G3 or in an emergency G12+ . Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until you can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio. This should
be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the
"MAX" mark . Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
_& WARNING
-= -- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,_

234 Check ing and filling
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, rad io, etc ., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new bat tery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery .
Intelligent energy man agement in your veh i­
cle is respons ible for d istributing the electr i­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
c::> page 192. The intell igent energy manage­
ment system w ill keep the engine battery
cha rged bette r than vehicles w ithout t his sys­
tem. To make sure the additional e lectrica l en­
e rgy is availab le once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu ­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery hous ing. Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor­
rectly after replac ing the battery .
The new battery must have the same capacity ,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construct ion
and plug sealing.
When installing the ba ttery, make sure the ig­
n ition and all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch ­
ed off .
{[) Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak out .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your author ­
ized Aud i dealer change the battery for
you . Batter ies contain su lfuric ac id and l
ead and must a lways be disposed o f prop­
erly in compliance with a ll environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batter ies
i mproperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .
Windshield/headlight
washer container
Fig . 1 82 Eng in e compar tmen t: cov er on the w inds hield
washe r flu id rese rvoir
T he washer fluid co nta iner is marked w ith the
symbol~ on its cap
c::> fig. 182, c::>page 221.
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::> _& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 219.
.,. Lift the fil le r cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck after
fi lling the container .
You can find the reservo ir
ca pacit y in the table
in
c::> pag e 278 .
Clean water should be used when filling up. If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washe r jets . Always add a g lass cle aner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant a ntifreeze or
any other addi tives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir .

contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on t ires and
wheels be performed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa ­
cilities for dispos ing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and wheel s
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be s ure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 253.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the t ires approved
for your ve hicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci ­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
¢ page 239.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving character istics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table
(¢page 239) lists spec ifica­
tions of the tir es approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on dr iver's side
B-pillar (
¢ page 239, fig. 184) lists the speci­
fications of the orig inal equipment tires in­
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured .
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 187 . This information
i dent ifies and desc ribes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ide ntificat io n number
Tire s an d wheel s 24 7
for sa fety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the co rrec t tires . Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
255 /45 R 19 104 H
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 Nom inal tire width i n mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra -
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
1 9 Rim diameter code (i n inches)
104 Load ra ting code
H Speed ra ting letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") Indicates
t h at the t ire is a "Reinfo rced" or an " Ext ra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the ti re has
some mud and snow capab ility
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotation ¢
page 235 .
Tire manufacturing d ate
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2211 .. . " means, for example, the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2011.
Speed rating (letter code )
The speed rating le tter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 251.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
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